Is Larry Bird #39 worth grading?
Basketball · Basketball Cards 1990 Hoops · full price guide →
Strong grading candidate — 63× premium in PSA 10
A PSA 10 Larry Bird #39 sells for $93.00 against $1.47 raw: a $91.53 spread, 63× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($22.01) only about breaks even after fees, so the case rests on gemming. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
- Raw (NM)
- $1.47
- PSA 10
- $93.00
- PSA 9
- $22.01
- Gem premium
- 63×
- As of
- Jul 11, 2026
Break-even by outcome and fee
| If it comes back… | Sells for | Economy / bulk (~$25.00) | Standard (~$50.00) | Express (~$150) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gem — PSA 10 | $93.00 | +$66.53 | +$41.53 | −$58.47 |
| PSA 9 | $22.01 | −$4.46 | −$29.46 | −$129 |
| PSA 8 | $11.40 | −$15.07 | −$40.07 | −$140 |
Net = sale price − $1.47 raw value − fee. Fee tiers are illustrative; plug your grader's current price into the calculator below.
Expected value — how often does it need to gem?
| Chance it gems | Expected sale | Expected net (standard fee) |
|---|---|---|
| 25% | $39.76 | −$11.71 |
| 50% | $57.51 | +$6.04 |
| 75% | $75.25 | +$23.78 |
Break-even gem rate at the standard fee: about 41%. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses — measure it before you decide.
Which grader pays the most — and what a 10 takes
All centering standards →| Grader | 10 sells for | vs best | Front centering for a 10 | Back |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BGS 10 | $121 | best | 55/45 | 70/30 |
| PSA 10 | $93.00 | −$28.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| SGC 10 | $57.02 | −$63.98 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
| CGC 10 | $56.00 | −$65.00 | 55/45 | 75/25 |
Tolerances are each company's published centering standard for its top grade; surface, corners and edges must also be clean. Centering is the one you can measure yourself before you pay.
Full grade ladder
Raw conditions & history →| Grade | PSA | CGC | BGS | SGC | Graded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $93.00 | $56.00 | $121 | $57.02 | — |
| 9.5 | — | — | — | — | $24.00 |
| 9 | — | — | — | — | $22.01 |
| 8 | — | — | — | — | $11.40 |
| 7 | — | — | — | — | $6.70 |
Run your own numbers
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Grading Larry Bird #39 — FAQ
Is Larry Bird #39 worth grading?
A PSA 10 Larry Bird #39 sells for $93.00 against $1.47 raw: a $91.53 spread, 63× the ungraded price. A PSA 9 ($22.01) only about breaks even after fees, so the case rests on gemming. Centering is the usual reason a clean copy misses the 10 — measure it before you submit.
How much is a PSA 10 Larry Bird #39 worth compared with raw?
A PSA 10 Larry Bird #39 (Basketball Cards 1990 Hoops) sells for about $93.00 versus $1.47 for a raw near-mint copy — a 63× premium as of Jul 11, 2026.
Which grading company is best for Larry Bird #39?
By resale value, BGS 10 leads at $121, ahead of PSA 10 at $93.00. Fees and turnaround differ, so the best-paying label is not always the best net.
What centering does Larry Bird #39 need for a BGS 10?
BGS publishes 55/45 front and 70/30 back centering as the tolerance for a 10 (Gem Mint). Off-center copies are capped below the top grade regardless of surface — measure yours before paying the fee.
What gem rate makes grading Larry Bird #39 break even?
At a standard ~$50 fee, submitting Larry Bird #39 breaks even when it gems about 41% of the time (a miss assumed to sell at the PSA 9 price of $22.01).
Is your basketball card centered well enough to grade?
Centering makes or breaks a PSA 10. Scan any card with Midpoint to measure its exact centering, get a grade estimate, and see what your copy is actually worth.
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